Ryder's Fear
by PokeMaster64
Summary: (Sequel Short Story to TFONL) Ryder doesn't like to admit he has weaknesses. He overcame physical limitations and excelled past his species in many ways. But years in the Forest of No Light did more to his mental strength. Even in light, there's a darkness in everyone. He denies that belief. He denies he can become evil. But there is no use. There is something he fears.
1. Denial

A few weeks of travel have gone by since the destruction of the Forest of No Light. While the incident did remain fresh in everyone's minds, they've long since gotten over it and learned to move on from the horrifying experience. Frankly, it was better for everyone's sake to not bring up the damage the despicable forest left on them, both physical and mental damage that they'll need time to heal from.

Regardless, Ash and the gang had one mission in mind: heading to the Unova Pokémon League. With the raven-haired trainer prepped for battle and ready to face other potentially strong trainers, he had to remain focused on his battle strategy.

With the battling between them and the Darkmon, Pikachu wasn't in top condition for full out battle. Nurse Joy did say he _should_ recover before the league, but that was a small margin of time to train. With Pikachu sitting on the sidelines for training, he'll have to work double time if he wants to compete alongside his best friend. Thankfully, that just motivated the rest of Ash's team to get stronger for the league.

Ash did ask Ryder for some training tips, given he was trained by a spy organization, but he didn't feel like the others were ready to take on martial arts training, especially since he, himself, was unable to fight for the time being.

Speaking of Ryder, he's been enjoying his time away from work. Their trek through Unova so far has been…interesting, to say the least. Humilau was an interesting city to visit and, despite secretly berating Cameron's ignorance under his breath, he admitted he was a competent trainer when he wasn't acting like a total idiot.

Then there was that troupe of preppy, prestige girls. It took very little to tick the Charmeleon off these days and they knew how to infuriate them. He was especially spiteful against their snooty Pokémon, with Jade trying to hold him back from doing something regrettable (or stupid). Though, that day went from infuriating to flat out embarrassing later on. Of all the adventures he expected to go on, one of them didn't include sneaking into a girl's only troupe while wearing a pretty pink bow around his neck and speaking like a female version of himself. The mortification he had to deal with. Worst part, if he ever runs into his old friends, Jade's definitely going to blather about that whole experience. The day of reckoning looms over him.

Still, it was nice to see the girls one up those snooty Pokémon, especially Jade who took a crack at that Lilligant in the battle portion. He fell in love all over again when he saw the Flaaffy literally kick the Flowering Pokémon into the mud.

There was also the dragon village, Iris' home. It was a fascinating place to be, especially since he had the traits of a dragon in his biology. Kind of felt like he was home for a while.

Aside from that, nothing much. Though, Scarlet was going through that stage of learning to speak. He laughed behind his hand every time Pikachu and Buneary coddled their kid for achieving a new skill. They were adorable parents to their bundle of joy.

The gang walked along a path to their next destination. They'll be crossing through a city eventually, but it was likely they would have to camp out for the night before heading there. Scarlet skipped along the path, holding her parents' hands. They occasionally lifted her off her feet and swung her around, which got adorable squeals out of her.

"Heehee! Highew, highew!" Scarlet cheered as she waved her tiny feet.

Pikachu laughed. "That's as high as we can get you, sweetie."

The Pichu was lowered down, allowing her to continue happily skipping across the ground. "Can I wide on youw shouldews, Daddy?" she pleaded with her bright, shimmering eyes.

Pikachu smiled at the adorable face. How could he say no to it? "Oh, alright. Up you go!" Scarlet squealed as she was scooped off the ground and plopped down on her father's shoulders. She waved her arms and squealed childishly, then hit her father's head like a drum. The tiny smacks were ticklish to the Pikachu, making his laugh.

Buneary smiled at her mate and daughter. "D'aww. You two get along so well. Too bad she can't ride my shoulders until I get this stupid cast off." She moved her damaged arm around. She was halfway through letting it heal. A few more weeks and she'll be allowed to take the cast off.

Pikachu wrapped his arm around her. "Guess that makes me the favorite parent." Buneary smirked and lightly shoved him, nearly knocking him over. Scarlet giggled and clapped gleefully. Pikachu smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head.

Ryder and Jade stared at the two in amusement. Jade giggled behind her hand. "Seems they're getting this parenting thing down fairly well."

Ryder rolled his eyes, laughing. "You kidding me? They're spoiling the heck out of her."

"She's a precious little cinnamon bun!" Jade exclaimed, holding her cheeks. "How could they not?" She then smirked. "Trust me, this is to be expected. Just let them have their fun while they can. She's only a baby for so long."

Ryder chuckled, shaking his head. "True, true."

"By the way, how are you feeling?" Jade asked with a worried look. "I, uh, heard you leave in the middle of the night. Any nightmares?"

Ryder rubbed his eyes. Throughout the few weeks, he experienced brief nightmares that threw him out of his slumber. Each one was roughly the same. Darkness creeping up around him. Horrible screaming. That irritating laugh _he_ hollered to spite him. Thankfully, they don't happen every night or he wouldn't be able to get any sleep.

He yawned a bit and said, "Just went for a walk, don't worry."

Jade frowned, then looked ahead. "You know I don't like secrets being kept from me, Ryder, especially when it concerns your health." She narrowed her eyes. "Hank said you needed this time off to get your mental state in check and to control that darkness in you." She glanced at him. "Sounds to me like you're not having the best of luck with it."

Ryder waved it off. "Don't…Don't worry about it. It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine right now, aren't I?" He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Jade, if there was a problem with me, I would tell you. They're just nightmares. I'm smart enough to know they aren't real."

The shiny Flaaffy sighed. "I know…"

He smiled and nuzzled against her cheek. She pouted her cheeks, trying to keep herself from laughing. "Besides, there's one thing in this world that keeps me down to earth: you."

A brief laugh flew out her lips as she smirked at him. "That your attempt at flirting?"

"Depends. Is it working?"

She smiled slyly, then sneaked a quick kiss on his cheek. "Maybe a little." Ryder blushed as she leaned against him. "Now, I think we should discuss some training."

"I'm still healing, you know."

"Aura control, sweetie, aura control. I'll be saving the physical stuff for Oshawott." She patted his shoulder and chuckled. "Never thought I'd get a student. Tell me, does Oshawott know how to take a kick?"

Ryder held his face and sighed, laughing on the inside. He felt sorry for poor Oshawott. The sea otter has no idea what he was getting himself mixed up with. The Charmeleon has fought Jade before and, while not going all out, has an unhealthy habit of forgetting they were in the middle of a sparring match. The number of times he's been pinned by the beautiful Flaaffy is too much for him to recall.

Ryder shook his head, then looked ahead at the humans. "Hey guys, how much farther before we stop?"

Cilan looked up at the sky to consider the question, then smiled at the Charmeleon. "It appears to be getting late already. Perhaps we should set up camp now."

Pikachu pumped his fist. "(All aboard for that!)" he exclaimed.

Scarlet clapped excitedly. "(Yay!)"

The gang stopped near a grassy plain and made their way out near some trees before setting their stuff down. After stretching their limbs, the trainers brought out their Pokeballs and through them in the air.

"Come on out, everyone!"

The Pokeballs opened up and released their fellow partners and friends, who stretched after sitting in their chambers for so long. Dragonite stretched his arms out and sighed. Across his chest was a large scar where that freak of nature attacked him. He's grown use to it, as it did make him look tougher. Though, it did remind him of the friend he lost after receiving it. Still, he chooses not to dwell on such bad memories.

Ash looked at the Pokémon and held his hips. "Alright everyone, you know the drill! Let's get camp set up!"

"(Right!)" they exclaimed.

Pikachu took Scarlet off his shoulders and walked her over to Emolga and Axew. "Can you two watch over Scarlet for Buneary and me?"

Emolga scratched her head. "Um…sure, I guess."

"Thanks, Emolga." Pikachu rubbed Scarlet's head. "Be good to Emolga, okay?"

Scarlet smiled and wagged her tail. "Okay, Daddy!" Pikachu kissed her forehead, then regrouped with Buneary to help collect firewood, with added assistance from Crustle. Scarlet smiled at Emolga and Axew.

Emolga smiled awkwardly. "So, uh, what do you want to-?"

Axew cut her off by bopping the little Pichu in the forehead. "Tag, you're it!" He ran off in the opposite direction, laughing.

Scarlet blinked, then laughed as she chased after the dragon. She had absolutely no idea what they were playing, but it looked fun! Emolga watched the two run around in the grass, then sighed with a lazy smile. _Well, that solves that problem._

Cilan set up his cooking station and got his equipment in line. He turned to Pansage and Jade, who has taken to helping the green haired man with his cooking. "Okay, you two, let's get cooking!"

"(Yeah!)" they exclaimed before helping him round up supplies from his bag.

Ash, Iris, Ryder, Oshawott, and Excadrill got to work on setting up the tents. Snivy took off to the side and rested against a tree, keeping watch of Scarlet, Axew, and, soon joining in on the fun, Scraggy. She knew Emolga was watching them, but she wasn't taking chances. Despite the flying squirrel becoming more active in manual labor, she had a tendency to let her lazy side take over. She'll continue to keep watch until she could fully trust the flying squirrel to hold rights to the responsibility.

It was looking like to be an easy night for the group.

* * *

"They're setting up camp, sir."

"Good. That means we can take a break ourselves."

Hundreds of meters out of eyesight from the traveling gang were the loyal agents of Wrath: Warp and Tarot. Tarot, now in a much more revealing light, was shown to be a Mienfoo wearing a purple hoodie, which had the hood over her head. She was currently spying on the group through a pair of electronic binoculars.

Standing behind her and picking berries from a tree was a Pokémon not native to Unova, Warp the Frogadier. He wore a black duster coat tailored to his size and a white mask over his eyes with green markings over it and small slits that allowed him to see.

He picked off four Oran berries and tossed two to Tarot. Keeping her eyes on the targets, her eyes glowed purple, catching the berries in a purple field of energy, similar to Psychic. She levitated one over, quickly turned to take a bite of it, then resumed her spying.

Warp sat down next to her and took a bite of his berry. "What do we have on them?"

"I've read their minds and gotten basic stuff. Raven haired kid is Ash Ketchum. Raised in Pallet Town. Partner Pokémon is that Pikachu. The purple haired one is Iris. Aiming to be a Dragon Trainer. Comes from a dragon themed village. Shares a common discomfort for the cold." She zoomed in on them. "Green haired one is Cilan. Connoisseur in multiple fields. One of three gym leaders of the Striaton City Gym. Expert cook from the looks of it."

Warp narrowed his eyes. "Anything deeper? Fears? Personal goals? Family?"

"May require closer analysis. With a couple of their party members being ultra-sensitive to aura, they'll likely sense my presence and foil our spying."

"So, it's a matter of waiting." Warp groaned and leaned against the tree. "How did I get stuck with such a monotonous job?"

"Hey, I think we've been doing well for the last few weeks." She put the binoculars down and grinned. "First time out on the field. It's a real honor for Wrath to trust me with a delicate mission. He sure does love information and I'm the best way for gathering it." She then groaned. "Besides, I much rather be out of the hideout than spend another minute around Agent Claw."

"Fair enough." He folded his arms behind his head. "Have you gotten anything on the Flaaffy, Charmeleon, and Pikachu?"

"For the most part," she stated as she zoomed in on the three. "I fail to see the importance of the Pikachu, even if he helped in the destruction of the forest."

"If Wrath sees him as important enough to keep tabs on, then that's what we're gonna do. Now, the info?"

Tarot zoomed in on Pikachu. "Subject has no other name he identifies by. Fondness of ketchup, apparently. Mate is the Buneary and offspring is the Pichu, referred to as Scarlet. Subject doesn't have much on his past, though. Case of amnesia, perhaps. No point in searching through his mind. I'd have to directly probe it to unlock his repressed memories."

"The Flaaffy?"

"Subject identifies as 'Jade.' Specializes in kick based fighting style. Used to work on a farm out in Johto. In a relationship with the subject who identifies as 'Ryder.' She's tough and headstrong. She trained well from what I can tell. Her mind's like a fortified chamber. Aura training, from the looks of it."

Warp raised his brow. "Then how did you get all that information on her?"

"Read the Charmeleon's mind. He lacks the same finesse his mate does for aura. Speaking of which…" She set the binoculars down. "Well, he's rather peculiar."

Warp sat up straight and lay his hands in his lap. "How so?"

"His mind's rattled with thoughts. His mind is very disturbed and broken from the looks of it. I sensed a darker presence inside him whenever he goes to sleep. It grows stronger and seems to act on the dream world of his mind. Some form of parasite that gains power when he falls asleep."

Warp rubbed his chin. "Wrath mentioned how he might be mentally unstable." He narrowed his eyes. "And the aura switch that occurred between him and Dark."

Tarot nodded. "It's amazing what a little strand of aura can do when merged with someone else's. Great power, for sure, but they're completely different. One was purposely made to harbor evil within it." She rubbed his chin. "I'll have to bring myself into his dreams to see what this force is like. Wrath would want us to study it."

"No doubt…" Warp looked up at the sky as the sun dipped into the horizon.

"When is the boss going to initiate his big plan, anyway?" Tarot brought up as she zoomed in on Ryder.

Warp shrugged. "As he said, things are complicated. He still needs to find the right materials for his master plan. According to him, should everything go off as he predicted-"

"-we'll be seeing our takeover over a year from now?" she finished. She smirked as she could feel the Frogadier giving her the stink eye. "Read your mind."

"So why did you ask?"

"It'd be rude not to ask first."

* * *

The sun set into the horizon, covering the sky in a blanket of darkness. After finishing dinner, Ash did some late-night training with his Pokémon. Nothing too serious before bed, but they'll be doing some extra hard training in the morning.

"Oshawott, Razor Shell! Snivy, Leaf Blade!"

The two lunged at each other and slammed their bladed attacks against each other. Green and blue sparks flew off the two blades as they pushed against one another. The force sent them both flying back, but they safely landed on their feet.

While they trained, Jade was closely observing Oshawott to see what she had to work with. Ryder kept worrying how she might be too rough on him, but she knew when to pull back on the kicks…sometimes. Besides, she was confident Oshawott could handle the training.

She rubbed her chin and stuck her tongue out curiously. "Hmm…his physical training with you definitely puts him a step up above most Pokémon. What have you put him through, again?"

Ryder crossed his arms and tried to recall the specific training. "Simple endurance and strength training."

"Weighted vests and bracelets?"

"Bingo."

Jade chuckled. "Yikes. Too bad we don't have any of those on hand."

Ryder pouted in annoyance. "I like wearing them for training…why did Hank have to take them away?"

"Ryder, if you planned on keeping those in your cloak, they'd be impractical to carry around." She smirked. "Unless you planned on wearing them throughout our whole journey."

"…shut up…"

She laughed and patted his shoulder. "I think a little change in training is good for you. Besides, you already got muscle on those arms." She purred jokingly, making him laugh. "Aura control is the route we're taking, anyway."

Ryder propped up one knee and rested his arms on it. "Haven't done aura training in a long time." He held his hand up. "…it felt weird to use an Aura Sphere for the first time. I barely remember firing it."

"Hank told me about it." She looked ahead, watching Oshawott and Snivy clash. "…it amazed me how far you pushed yourself to defeat Dark. You pushed way beyond your limits. You shouldn't have survived that kind of strain."

Ryder sighed. "It surprised me, too. Will to live, I suppose." He looked at his hand again, this time focusing on the evil aura that swam through his own. "…Dark's ideology baffles me. Hank says I need to learn to control this aura, but how do I control something that goes against my moral code?" He narrowed his eyes. "I fight evil, not harness its power."

Jade closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't have much of an answer for that." She opened her eyes into a narrowed stare. "Though, perhaps it requires you to look past your own biased beliefs."

"Don't tell me you think Dark has a point."

She shook her head. "I mean…there's always two sides to the same argument. Both have their pros and their cons."

"What's bad about being good?"

Jade leaned back. "That highly depends on your perception of good. Or the level of goodness you project." She shrugged. "Maybe if Dark were still alive, you two could have some moral discussion."

Ryder glared. "We'd never reach the same page…"

"Isn't that how most arguments devolve over time? Pretty sure most are solved through compromise, not admitting either or is right." She glared. "On the surface, Dark was a crackpot who wanted to take over the world with his evil ideology. But…that's just a surface analysis." She glanced at the Charmeleon quizzically. "What was Dark really thinking? More importantly, did he truly know your side of the story?"

Ryder groaned and held his head. "I thought I was through with the psychoanalysis…"

"I'm being serious, Ryder." Jade held his shoulder. "I know it'll be hard for you to accept, but you may have to see things from Dark's eyes to make sense of his definition of evil."

Ryder dropped his hands and glared at the ground. "A nightmare I refuse to live…"

"I understand." She leaned against him and sighed. "I…understand. But, please, at least think it over. How long will it be until you have another freak out? Pikachu and the others told me how you used an imperfect Awakened Evil in your sleep." She narrowed her eyes seriously. "You don't want that to happen again, do you?"

"I…" Ryder held his fist up and clenched it tightly. "I…I can control it. I have complete control of my emotions. Dark's power, and his evil, doesn't scare me. I'm above evil. I'm above immoral behavior and acts of terror." He lightly pressed his fist against the dirt. "I'm above his control."

Jade took a deep breath, then sighed. "…okay, fine. Have it your way." She looked at him worriedly. "Just please…please promise me you can control this new side of yourself. I'd hate for you to do something horrible. To say something you don't mean. To feel emotions…that aren't yours."

"Understand Dark…don't become him."

Ryder narrowed his eyes, barely paying attention to the battle in front of him. He flinched a bit from a small headache coming over him. He pressed his hand against his head and shook it lightly. He looked at Jade's pleading eyes. She was only looking out for his safety.

With his hand against her cheek, he stated, "I promise."

* * *

"Alright gang, time for bed!" Ash announced. After late night training was complete, everyone started to head off to bed. "I thought it would be nice for everyone to sleep outside their Pokeballs for the night. Sounds good?"

"(Yeah!)" the Pokémon cheered.

Iris rubbed her eyes and yawned before handing out a large blanket to Excadrill. "You all can sleep on *yawn* this. You all have a goodnight…"

"(Goodnight!)" the Pokémon exclaimed before getting the blanket set up.

Ryder stretched his limbs and cracked his bones. He sighed in relief. "I could use a nap…" He felt Jade snaking her way around his arm. He smirked at her. "Sleeping under the tree tonight?"

She winked. "Oh yes."

Ryder chuckled, but his attention was turned away from her when something bumped into him. He looked down and smiled at the happy Pichu who was giving him a big, goodnight hug. "Goodnight, Uncle Wydew!"

Ryder crouched down and rubbed her head. "Night, kiddo." He nodded at Jade. "Don't forget your Auntie Jade." Jade rolled her eyes with a light smirk.

Scarlet giggled and tackle hugged the shiny Flaaffy, snuggling against her wool. "Nighty-Night, Auntie Jade!"

Jade hugged her back. "Oh, you're just so precious! Goodnight Scarlet!" Scalret hopped off her, then ran over to the other Pokémon to give them their goodnight hugs. Most of them practically melted in face of the adorable Pichu, taking part in her nightly ritual of hugs with open arms. The only one seemingly immune to her cuteness was Dragonite, though he was more nervous from the attention. Jade giggled. "She's so sweet!"

Pikachu and Buneary walked over, visibly tired. Buneary rubbed her eye with an exhausted smile. "I'm kind of glad our group is as small as it is. Wouldn't want her spending the WHOLE night saying goodnight."

Pikachu laughed and patted her shoulder. "You…You know you love it," he said tiredly.

Buneary giggled and thumped her fidgeting feet against the ground. "I do! It's so adorable!"

Scarlet finished off her routine hugs, ending with Stunfisk as she hugged his tail. "Nighty-Night, Uncle Stunfisk!"

Stunfisk laughed and flapped his fins in his usual jolly manner. "Goodnight, Scarlet."

After finishing her nightly ritual, Scarlet ran to her parents and jumped into their awaiting arms. "Night Mommy! Night Daddy! I sleep now!" She closed her eyes and snoozed soundly in their arms instantly.

Pikachu and Buneary kissed her cheeks and nuzzled her. "Goodnight, sweet pea," they said softly. They smiled at Ryder and Jade. "Goodnight."

They bowed to them in return. "Goodnight." Pikachu and Buneary took Scarlet over to the neatly placed blanket and lay down with the toddler in-between them. Ryder and Jade walked over to the nearby tree and sat down under it. They leaned against each other and closed their eyes. Soon, everyone was asleep and turning in for the night.

All…but the spies of Wrath.

With everyone slipping away to dreamland, Tarot focused her attention on Ryder. She and Warp moved in closer so she could get a stronger connection to his mindscape.

Warp held his chin. "Now, let's see what plagues this Charmeleon's mind."

Tarot pressed her fingers against her temples and focused on the sleeping Charmeleon. Her eyes glowed purple as she projected her mind into his, seeping her way into his inner consciousness.

* * *

" _Ryder, use Aerial Ace!"_

 _Ryder dashed across the field of the Unova League stadium and kicked the Haxorus across the face. The axe tusk dragon flew across the air in a spiral motion, slamming into the walls of the stadium. He pushed himself up and growled furiously._

 _His trainer clenched his fist and pointed forward. "Haxorus, use Dual Chop!" The dragon's axe tusks glowed light blue and enlarged in size, then he dashed straight for the Charmeleon._

 _Ryder smirked at his trainer, Ryan, who nodded at him with a determined stare. "Ryder, show them what you're made of! Stop that Dual Chop in its tracks!"_

 _Ryder narrowed his eyes on the attack, then held his hand up. Haxorus swung downward on the Charmeleon, but Ryder stopped it in his hand. Haxorus stared at Ryder in disbelief of his immense strength. He was further surprised when Ryder lifted up by the tusk with great ease._

 _Ryan threw his arms up with a wide smile. "Okay Ryder, send him flying, then finish it off with Brick Break!"_

 _Ryder stomped his foot down and spun on his foot. He slammed his other foot down, stopping himself and throwing Haxorus straight into the sky. He crouched down, then rocketed upwards. He flew so fast that he out sped Haxorus' flight. Once he began to slow down, Ryder held his arm up, wrapped it in light. The Haxorus gasped in horror as Ryder threw down his arm straight against his snout and sent him rocketing back down._

 _Haxorus crashed into the field, blasting up the dirt in a wide range explosion. Ryder fell back to the ground, performing impressive flips, and landed gracefully with a loud crash. The Charmeleon smirked proudly and rose to full height, holding his hips and staring down his fallen opponent._

 _The Haxorus lay unconscious in front of his trainer, who shrieked in horror. "Haxorus! NNNOOO!"_

" _What an ASTOUNDING battle, ladies and gentlemen! The winner of the Unova Pokémon League is Ryan Hayashi!"_

 _Rose petals rained down on the two as someone gave Ryan the trophy and shook his hand. Ryder waved his hands to the cheering crowd and laughed aloud, proud of his glowing achievement._

" _You were amazing, Big Bro!" Ryder glanced over and saw his friends running over, with Slick at the front. He wagged his little tail with glee in his eyes. "When I get older, I want to be as strong as you! You're so awesome!"_

 _Ryder held his hips and laughed. "Oh come on, I'm not that great."_

 _Techno punched his arm and laughed. "You kidding? Quit being so modest! You're a natural!"_

 _Ryder rubbed his chin and smirked. "Well, I am pretty great."_

 _Tsunami sighed and slumped over tiredly. "Oh man, I wish I was half as great as you, Ryder…"_

 _Ryder shrugged and snickered through his teeth. "Eh, it can't be helped, pal." His friends continued to praise him for his victory, then parted away when Jade walked up to him._

 _She smirked flirtatiously. "I knew you could win~."_

 _The Charmeleon wrapped his arms around her and dipped her down with a romantic smile. "With encouragement from you all, how can I lose?" He kissed the Flaaffy passionately._

 _They pulled apart when Ryan kneeled down and patted the Charmeleon's shoulder. "I couldn't have done it without you, Ryder. You're the best partner a guy could have."_

 _Ryder smiled back at him. "And you're the greatest friend to ever come into my life, Ryan." The Charmeleon closed his eyes, smiling at the fact his dreams were becoming a reality…_

… _until they weren't._

 _His eyes widened with a jolt as thunder sounded from the sky. He looked up and gasped at the black cloud hanging over the sky. He looked around the stadium and saw it vanishing under a thick veil of darkness. It enclosed around him and his friends._

 _Ryder looked around in bewilderment, then turned to Ryan. "Ryan, what's going-?" His eyes widened as he watched his best friend melting into the darkness. He stumbled back and turned around, watching the rest of his friends melting into the dark floor. "NO!" He tried to pull Slick out, but the Cubchoo melted away. He tried to save the others: Techno, Scout, Tsunami, Dash, ANYONE._

 _He tried to save Jade, but she was met with the same fate. Ryder dropped to his knees and slashed at the ground desperately, trying to dig his friends out. He panted fiercely before punching angrily at the ground. No amount of force in his punches could dent the ground._

" _I have to admit, Ryde, I never realized how self-centered you could be." Ryder's head shot up, eyes shrunken. He glanced through his peripherals and made out the dark version of himself standing behind him with a casual demeanor. He stepped forward, hands behind his back. "What? Was a blimp flying overhead with your name flashing in bright neon colors too much for your bloated ego?" He scratched his chin. "Never took you for the arrogant type, but…" He smirked. "You do have a tendency for enforcing your sense of justice by force."_

 _Ryder spun around onto his feet and glared. "You…"_

 _Dark threw his hands and laughed through his smirk. "Are you really that surprised?" He held his hip and spun his other hand around. "Miss your beloved friends that much? Wishing the good times would return? Going to the Unova League but not competing?" He shook his head, laughing harder. "Boy, that must really eat you UP!"_

 _Ryder growled and lunged at the figment, who disappeared in an instant. Ryder rolled to his feet and glared around for the Darkmon. "You're not real! I killed you!"_

" _I'm about as real as it gets, Ryde," Dark's voice echoed around the endless void. "Destroy me all you want, but a piece of me will always exist inside you."_

 _Ryder slowly stepped around the void, fidgeting. "I'm not hearing this…"_

" _Still trying to trick yourself into believing you're a symbol of good and justice?" Dark's irritating laugh bounced around in his head. "Get a clue, fool! You wouldn't know true justice if the Sword of Justice gave a whole lecture about it! You're not a good guy."_

 _Ryder dropped to his knees and pressed his hands against his head, trying to block him out. "Stop talking!"_

" _You're tainted with my evil. You can feel its aggressive power feeding into your emotions. You want to let go and express that hidden darkness."_

 _Ryder glared at the ground. "I'm nothing like you! I'm not evil! And you're not real!"_

" _Deny it all you want, but you know it's true. I'm a part of you now, whether in death or life." Dark appeared behind the Charmeleon. "It baffles me how someone like you refuses to accept this side of yourself."_

 _Ryder snapped his head at him and snarled. "Because no sane person would go out of their way to harm others for personal gain!"_

 _Dark smirked. "My, my, such hostility. Do you not understand what evil truly is?" Dark sighed and paced around the darkness. "A cruel truth I must live with, that the true meaning of evil has been loss to this world. How sad."_

 _Ryder sneered. "True meaning? What's there to say? Evil is what it is. It's a defining trait that proposes destruction, chaos, and harm for the selfish needs of oneself."_

 _Dark glanced at him. "Yes…now, remind me again WHY you decided to throw caution to the wind during our final confrontation?" Ryder's eyes widened. The Darkmon figment smirked. "Heh, you remember, don't you?" He clasped his hands together and spun around. "Oh, how beautiful it was, to see you throw a heroic tantrum! Now, to be fair, it was an impressive tantrum for what it's worth! Why, if we were fighting at full strength, you may have actually matched half my strength." Dark sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Sadly, the previous fighting and Pikachu's rotten interference cut most of the fun out."_

 _Dark's smirk returned. "Still, you can't go convincing me that that entire tirade of vehemence and ferocity wasn't a long-awaited dose of catharsis." He glared evilly. "Fact is, you let yourself slip and allowed all that rage to take over. As far as I'm concerned, heroes don't go around causing wasteland levels of destruction."_

 _Ryder clenched his teeth tightly. "What…do you want?"_

" _For you to get it through that thick skull of yours what true evil is. Maybe then, you'll be half as bright as me."_

 _Ryder growled. "You think you're any better?! The apathetic sociopath who desires the destruction of all?!"_

 _Dark crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "All I wanted was for my people to flourish." He smirked. "I was right from the start. The 'good' people and Pokémon of this world are willing to kill an entire species just because their moral ideology goes against their own."_

 _Ryder pointed at him. "You really don't get it, do you?"_

" _Maybe not, but I am only a part of my true self." Dark snickered. "I'd think about what I said, Ryde. You never know when something might…happen."_

 _Ryder growled, then relaxed his body. "…I'm not scared of you, Dark."_

 _Dark glared. "Oh…that's going to bite you in the tail later." He turned around and crossed his arms. "You'll have to surrender yourself eventually. I'm stuck with you 'til the day you die." He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Won't that be grand?"_

"… _leave. Now."_

 _Dark shrugged and walked away. "Fine. Be the defiant hero you were born to be." He stopped for a moment, looking around curiously, then snickered. "Oh, now this is too rich." He could feel the confusion on Ryder's face. "I don't want to spoil the details, Ryde! There'd be no fun in that." He held his claw up and said, "If you can hear me, you little intruder, then I want you to pay extra attention to this next part." He turned back at Ryder, who was still confused._

" _Let me put it to you like this, Ryder: if you thought I was dangerous before, imagine that power being yours to control." He pulled his claw back. "Think about it."_

 _He tapped the air…then Ryder's entire world popped in an instant._

* * *

Ryder shot up with a scream, startled by the abrupt destruction of his dream. He cut himself off, covering his mouth and hastily looking around to see if he woke anyone up. Thankfully, everyone seemed sound asleep, even Jade.

The Charmeleon took a moment to compose himself before staring at the ground with a distant, muddled look. Nothing was making sense anymore. His presence seemed to grow stronger as the days past. Why did that evil spirit have to haunt him?

No matter what, he will continue to defy the word of Dark. It didn't matter how many times the Darkmon figment bashed his ludicrous ideology down his throat. Nothing was going to change his stance on morality. He just needed to fight on until Dark finally realized there was no point anymore.

Ryder stood up and rubbed his head. He was pretty sure he saw a small lake nearby when they got here. He quietly stepped away from the campsite and headed towards it, hoping the cool splash of water to his face will relax him.

* * *

Right at the same time Ryder was forced awake, Tarot let out a scream as she, quite literally, got kicked out of the dream, slamming down on her back. She held her head and groaned weakly. Her head felt fuzzy and distorted.

Warp crouched down to her side and snapped his fingers over her face. "Hey. You okay?"

Tarot groaned again, then shoved his hand away. "For the most part…" She sat up and rubbed her head, flinching as a splitting headache came about. "Ugh…"

"What happened? Did he kick you out of his mind?" he asked.

Tarot pulled herself together, then stared at the grass with a solemn look. "Not…exactly." She glanced at him. "Dark's…life force is strange. It acts on its own accord, behaving like him on a subconscious level. He even detected me and forced both me and Ryder out of the dream world." She clutched her head and seethed in pain. "Ugh…is this what a hangover feels like, because it sucks…"

Warp ignored his partner's agony and stared at the Charmeleon as he got up and walked away, likely to recover from his little nightmare. The Frogadier held his chin and studied him for a moment. "Dark truly is a menace to fear. They aren't even aware their meddling in the Forest of No Light left ongoing outcomes."

Tarot rubbed her head and glared at her superior. "You saying Dark's dangerous even if it's only a piece of him?"

"He was created through twisted science conducted by our boss," Warp reminded. He glanced over his shoulder. "The Darkmon were made to be an unstoppable evil. The Prime Darkmon…was meant to be unkillable."

That made the inexperienced agent grimace. "Yeesh, and here I thought the experiments done on us were brutal." She glared. "Dark…the Darkmon were Wrath's finest creation."

Warp nodded. "And now we see the effects of that evil drive a creature into madness. Who knows how long it'll take for him to snap. The pressure is probably eating him up inside."

"And if it does?"

"You read their minds, correct? Figure it out for yourself."

Tarot narrowed her eyes. A memory she picked up from the Pikachu related to an incident that took place within the forest. Some sort of sickness befell Ryder before triggering the tainted aura to unleash a sinister rampage. An incomplete form of what the Darkmon call 'Awakened Evil.'

"…if the pressure between his two opposing sides snaps, the evil will seep its way in and unleash the madness." Tarot smirked. "I see why Wrath considers him a worthy subject to study. The madness must be infecting his thoughts…"

"Exactly." Warp slid his hands in his coat pockets and turned away from campsite. "We still have much to do. According to Wrath, Giovanni will be conducting his little plan very soon. We need to make sure the pieces are set for our heroes. We wouldn't want them left out of the fun."

Tarot chuckled. "Yes…of course."

* * *

The morning sun rose up from the horizon as the trainers and Pokémon stirred from their sleep. First to bolt awake from slumber was Ash. Normally, he wouldn't mind sleeping in, but training for the Pokémon League was top priority. He dashed out of his tent and exclaimed, "Alright, a brand new day! Let's get some training in, gang!"

His Pokémon were less than enthusiastic to wake up immediately. Pikachu sat up and rubbed his eyes. "(Where…does he get that energy?)"

Buneary yawned and turned onto her side. "(He's…your trainer, not mine.)"

Iris stepped out of her tent, with a case of bed head. "Ash, stop shouting! We haven't had breakfast yet!"

At the mention of breakfast, Scarlet sprung from her sleep and waved her arms. "(Bweakfast!)"

Buneary laughed before petting the Pichu's head. "(Good morning, sweet pea.)"

Scarlet hugged her side. "(Mowning, Mommy! Mowning, Daddy!)" she greeted her father after giving him his hug. Thankfully, she didn't make it a daily ritual to greet everyone in the morning.

Pikachu yawned and patted the toddler's back. "(Morning, Scarlet. Did you sleep well?)"

"(Uh huh!)" she exclaimed with a wag of her tail.

Cilan finally got up as well and clapped his hands together. "Well, I see everyone's getting up. I shall prepare a hearty breakfast to get you all moving!"

"Great!" Ash exclaimed. "More energy means more training!"

Iris sighed and slumped her head forward. "Such a little kid…"

While the humans conversed, the Pokémon gathered near each other to talk. Jade walked over, rubbing her eyes of sleep. She had her scarf draped over her shoulder. "Phew, I slept great." She took her scarf and started tying it around her neck.

Oshawott stepped over to greet her. "That's good." He kicked the ground awkwardly. "So…should we start that training you kept talking about?"

Jade smirked. "You up for it?"

He smiled nervously. If she was anything like Ryder, or worse, he better be. "I hope so."

"Good enough for me! After breakfast, we can…" She trailed off when she suddenly realized one Pokémon was strangely absent. "…where's Ryder?"

"Didn't he sleep with you?"

"Yeah, but…I thought he woke up before me." She looked around thoroughly, then spotted the Charmeleon sleeping on the ground, a little ways from the campsite. "What in the world…?" She and Oshawott ran over to him. Emolga noticed this and flew after them to see for herself.

The Charmeleon rested in the grass with his limbs sprawled out. He snored silently while his right eye twitched every so often. Jade, Oshawott, and Emolga stood over him with confused looks. The flying squirrel scratched her head, then deadpanned. "Sssooo…should we be concerned about this or is he a sleepwalker?"

Jade narrowed her eyes. "Ryder…" She shook her head and placed her tail's orb against his forehead. She administered a Heal Bell that washed over his body with energy.

The Charmeleon's body twitched to life, then he stretched his limbs out with a tired yawn. He rolled onto his back, rubbed his eyes, then looked up. "What time is it…?" His eyes widened.

Standing above him was an amused Emolga, a confused Oshawott, and a disappointed Flaaffy giving him a scolding glare. Ryder blinked slowly, then sighed. _I'm in trouble now…_

* * *

" _What_ did we talk about the other day?"

"Jade, I'm sorry!"

Cilan made sure to give Ryder some food that'd help him wake up. The Charmeleon sat with Jade, Pikachu, Buneary, Oshawott, Emolga, and Stunfisk for lunch. Nearby was Scarlet, Axew, and Scraggy running around and playing tag, with Snivy watching from nearby.

Jade kept giving Ryder her disapproving glare. "I told you to talk to me if you have another nightmare. Were you awake the whole night?"

Ryder tapped his claws together awkwardly. "…possibly…YOW!" he shouted after getting slugged in the arm. "I didn't want to wake you!"

She huffed and held her hips. "Ryder, after what these guys told me, I need to be monitoring you at all times should things like this arise. Besides, you NEED your rest! You can't be walking around half dead in the middle of the day!"

Ryder rubbed his arm and looked away. "Sorry…"

Emolga smirked and threw a pellet into her mouth. "You're extra snappy today, Jade. Lover Boy here putting that much stress on you?"

Jade sighed and looked away. "No…" She rubbed her forehead. "I'm not feeling too great today, either. Pretty hungry, too." She shoved a handful of pellets in her mouth and swallowed. She shook her head. "Ryder, you know I care about you…"

He nodded. "I know." He narrowed his eyes. "But Dark's aura should be my responsibility, not yours."

"Ryde," Pikachu chirped in, "I don't know what exactly you're going through, but you can't handle this on your own. I'd wager you need us to keep you calm. We've all noticed you getting angry over minor things."

Oshawott nodded. "Yeah, like how you nearly blew your secret because of that Conner fellow."

"Cameron," Buneary corrected.

"Conner, Cameron, same thing," Oshawott dismissed half-heartedly.

Buneary then added, "Plus, we can't forget that incident when you went feral on us. You were more beast than Pokémon."

"Or more…Darkmon than Pokémon," Pikachu pointed out. That got some tense stares form the group.

Ryder rolled his eyes and held his hands up. "You guys are worrying over nothing. Yes, I'll admit, I've been feeling a bit more aggressive these days, but I'm in control of myself. I can control my emotions just fine."

Stunfisk raised his brow. "You sure about that? I don't know anything about these Darkmon other than they were freaky little monsters, but do _you_ even know what you're dealing with?"

A dark smile crept up on the Charmeleon's face. "Heh…please, I've been dealing with the Darkmon for years. I can handle this."

"But Ryder…" Jade stated worriedly. "Dark…isn't like the other Darkmon. He's…well, you. A dark version of you. His will was left merged with yours. What does that mean for you?"

Ryder, for once, didn't say anything back. He lowered his head and stared at the grassy ground with an unchanging, dreary expression. All of the Darkmon he destroyed, nothing more than obstacles to overcome. Dark…was different. He brought something far more sinister that forced the Charmeleon to take action. Even in his death, Dark's will remained as strong as ever.

The dreary silence that surrounded the group thankfully broke, though not for pleasant means. They heard Axew crying out in pain, causing them to run over to his aid. They found him sprawled on the ground, wincing from the weak electric sparks around him.

"What the…? What happened here?" Oshawott asked aloud.

Emolga looked around, then smirked. "Found the culprit."

They spotted Scraggy running away while being chased by a gleefully laughing Scarlet, whose cheeks were sparking energetically. She caught up to the Shedding Pokémon and released a charge into his back that made him trip over himself and crash face first into the dirt.

Scarlet danced around him and laughed. "I win, I win!" She ran off before Scraggy could retaliate.

"That's not funny, Scarlet!" Scraggy fumed furiously.

Emolga helped Axew up and asked, "Alright, what's the problem?"

Axew shook off the remaining sparks and sighed. "Tag, that's what. Scarlet has been zapping us nonstop, even when we tell her to stop."

"And it's getting real freakin' annoying!" Scraggy added angrily. He tried to grab the Pichu, but she ran around him and shocked him again. "YOW!" Scarlet giggled and dashed off. "You little-!" He resumed his chase.

The older Pokémon blinked, then looked to the mischievous child's parents with stern looks. They looked partially guilty for her behavior. "Heh…well, she's very young. She doesn't know what she's doing is impolite," Buneary meekly said.

Jade held her hip and narrowed her eyes. "Human children take a while for their brains to develop. Pokémon learn and mature faster than humans. Scarlet's developing quickly, so she needs a basis for right and wrong. You two HAVE tried to establish that, right?"

Pikachu grinned awkwardly. "Well…we have been…loving her." The group groaned at his answer. "Sorry! We got so caught up with…well, coddling her, I guess."

Jade rolled her eyes, but showed a kind smile. "I can't put too much blame on you. Anyway, I'm sure once you calm her down and talk it over, she'll understand not to shock the others." She winced after hearing another yelp from Scraggy. "A light scolding might be warranted."

Scarlet ran around in circles, laughing to her sheer delight, until Jade swooped her off her feet and carried her over to the others. "Hi Auntie Jade! Awe we playing a game?!" She let out excited sparks, which didn't bother the Flaaffy.

"Not exactly, sweetie." She set her down in front of Pikachu and Buneary. "Now, you stay right there. Your mommy and daddy need to explain something to you."

It should have been a simple task. Just tell Scarlet she wasn't allowed to shoot off her electricity at her friends. Done and done. Well, for Pikachu and Buneary, there was some difficultly since this was their own child they had to scold. Pikachu wasn't particularly new to the concept, having dealt with younger Pokémon before. Buneary wasn't as well versed aside from her…shaky conversations with Happiny sometime during their travels in Sinnoh.

Buneary gulped and took a step forward. "R-Right…um, Scarlet?"

"Uh huh?" she sounded, staring at her mommy with cute shimmering eyes and an openmouthed smile.

Buneary stared at her long and hard before turning away and sitting herself down with her head bowed shamefully. "I can't bring myself to do it!" she cried, making the others falter over.

"Seriously?!"

Jade sighed, then looked to Pikachu. "Well Pikachu, looks like you're up."

Pikachu sighed, then glared sternly. "Right." He faced his daughter and stood right in front of her. _Be clear and concise! No backing down! You've faced legends and horrors! This is nothing!_ "Scarlet, we need to have a serious chat about your behavior!"

"About what?" Scarlet asked, wiggling her feet as she shifted around.

Pikachu held up a stern finger. "You can't go around shocking your friends."

Scarlet tilted her head, staring back with shimmering eyes. "Why?"

"B-Because it's wrong…" Pikachu stuttered.

"It's funny!" she squeaked with a cute giggle. "Big Bwothew Scwaggy makes funny faces when I zappy-zap him!"

Pikachu was sweating a bit. "Y-Yes, I suppose, but it might hurt his…feelings…" He was having trouble focusing with that adorable face she kept giving him. She looked too precious. He didn't want to upset her, but…he couldn't let her do whatever she wanted either. "Z-Zapping others d-d-doesn't…it's not right and it's bad…"

Scarlet's ears flopped down. "Did…Did I do a bad?" she asked in a quiet voice.

And that was the straw that broke the Pikachu's back.

He immediately sat himself next to Buneary with a shameful expression. "I can't do it either…" Ryder, Jade, Oshawott, and Emolga faltered once more in frustration.

"Are you serious?!"

Oshawott bonked Pikachu a couple times on the noggin. "What the heck, dude?! It's not that hard!"

"But I don't want to upset her!" Pikachu cried.

Oshawott grumbled, then marched over to Scarlet. "This is ridiculous! I've faced nightmarish creatures! I can scold a child!" He stepped in front of Scarlet and held his hips, chest puffed out. "Scarlet!"

The Pichu squealed. "Hi, Uncle Oshawott!"

"None of that, missy!" he lightly scolded. He bent down and glared at her. "Let's get one thing straight! You-!"

"Bop!" she exclaimed, playfully booping his nose.

He blinked…then was found sitting beside the sulking parents. "She's too cute…"

"EVEN YOU?!" Ryder, Jade, and Emolga shouted.

Emolga sighed, then smirked lightly at the child. "Heh, she's like a little version of me when you think about it. Just not trying to manipulate guys into offering free food."

Jade chuckled awkwardly. "Scarlet's still learning…so are her parents, I guess."

Ryder held his hips and smirked. "Heh…I'll go talk to her. She likes me more."

"Uh huh…" Jade dryly replied with a smirk.

Ryder walked up to Scarlet, who picked at the grass playfully. As he drew closer, he couldn't help but feel a sharp ringing in the back of his head. He grunted and placed a comforting hand over it. He looked forward and could've sworn he saw the world get darker, just for a second. An uncomfortable chill ran up his back.

He shook his head and focused before looking down at the blissfully playing Pichu. Ryder sighed and held his hips with a wry grin. "Scarlet…"

She looked up and beamed. "Uncle Wydew!" She waved her tiny arms at him.

He bent down and pressed his claw against her forehead playfully. "Scar, you know you're in trouble, right?"

That made the Pichu frown worriedly. "Did I do a bad?"

He rubbed her head. "Don't be silly, sweetie. You didn't do a bad. You just made a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Listen, I know you found it funny, but you shouldn't zap your friends like that. It's really mean."

Scarlet pointed at him. "But you, Mommy, and Daddy fight all the time with Uncle Ash. That make no sense."

Ryder smirked. "My, my, you're a precocious little scamp." He stood up and held his chin. "That's different, Scar. That's called battling. You're instinctively prepared for such things, so you know what's coming and how to take it. In your case, you're zapping your friends when they aren't in that mindset, so it's more like someone poking you even when you tell them to stop."

Scarlet blinked. "…I don't get it."

Ryder smiled. "Well, there's just a difference between battling and attacking someone. I wouldn't call what you did 'attacking,' more so a subdued kind of attacking. Basically, bothering your friends. I mean, you wouldn't want someone to hurt you, would you?"

Scarlet placed a hand over her mouth. "…pwobably not."

"Exactly. There's always two or more ways to look at these kinds of things, Scarlet."

"Really? I always thought you looked at things in only twos, Ryde!"

Ryder's eyes widened as the sky switched to a darker color. He stepped back, left eye twitching nervously. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"Oh, I'm not." Ryder looked down at Scarlet as she stood up. An evil smirk showed on her face before a black fog consumed her and transformed her into Dark. He flashed his conniving smugness at his killer. "I suppose we can take your lesson and apply to my situation!"

Ryder glared. " _Dark…_ " he growled. He looked around and saw everyone has vanished as well. Did he fall asleep or something?

"I could easily consider what you did as poking me with a stick. Going out of your way to interfere with my plans. All _I_ ever wanted was for my people to prosper over this land you've taken for yourselves. I would call our final confrontation a battle, but everything else felt like an _attack_ on _me_."

"Don't twist my words around, you vile monster…" Ryder seethed through his teeth. "How are you even here? I'm still awake!"

"Are you?" Dark smirked at the confusion and doubt that immediately formed on the Charmeleon's face. He broke out into laughter. "No, wait, you're right! You're awake! But I decided to make my presence a bit more intrusive! Not that hard for a god, though!"

"You're NOT a god, Dark! I killed you!"

"With the sun." Dark snickered. "Please, like you could ever legitimately beat me. I'm still here, haunting you."

Ryder closed his eyes and growled. "This is stupid…why should I even care? I destroyed the rest of you back in the forest. There's nothing else you can do to me."

Dark held his chin. "How confident are you on that claim?" He snickered again. "Don't be stupid, Ryde. This isn't a battle. This is the discussion your girlfriend spoke of. The one we need to have." He smirked evilly. "If this part of me, this extension of my will, is to live the rest of its life inside your aura, then I might as well get something out of it. To show you the true essence of evil that you keep denying."

Ryder pointed aggressively at him. "Get out…of my head." He was barely containing the bottled-up anger inside him.

"What makes you the authority of what's right and wrong in this world, Ryde?" Dark asked with crossed arms. "Don't guys like me get a say? Or did the Darkmon really deserve that harsh death sentence?"

"Your Darkmon, _YOU,_ were planning on massacring the entire planet and even considered waging war against the Legendary Pokémon!"

Dark smirked. "To be fair, I would have benefitted off that. I've absorbed the types of Pokémon and gained their aspects, I have to wonder if I can absorb more? Perhaps the time power of Dialga? The strength of Regigigas stacked over my own? Kyogre's mastery over the ocean?" His eyes beamed with devious glee. "Ooh…or maybe the creation of worlds itself, straight from the power of Arceus?"

Ryder growled furiously, clenching his fists. "And you act like I didn't have a reason for eliminating you?! You're a psychopath!"

"No, I'm a god born from evil," Dark corrected conceitedly. "All I want is to share my knowledge with you. It could give you more than you already have."

Ryder's eyes were burning with aura. "I don't know what Laura saw in you, but now I see she was blinded by your charisma. You're nothing more than a sick, disgusting monster with a god complex!"

"And you're a genocidal vigilante. Your point?" Dark's lips curled up, his blood red eyes glimmering with mischief. "What decides good and evil anymore? Are they but terms to describe the victor? From the oldest folktales of this world I can recall, good is always the victor. Why is that?"

"Because the Darkmon are evil! You were trying to kill us!" Ryder argued.

"We've had this conversation before, Ryde. I just want to point out with all the irony you have coming…but I never killed anyone. You prevented such a fate." He smirked. "Now…on the other hand, there was the destruction of my kind-"

Ryder held his head shook it violently. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"What are you afraid of, Ryder?" Dark poked further, walking up to him and tugging on his arm teasingly. "Do you fear your own morality slipping away and transforming into the evil you swore to protect? Are you afraid of the darkness?"

"Shut up! I said shut up!" Ryder screamed.

"You fear that my uncontrollable darkness will be your undoing." He laughed hauntingly in his ear. Ryder swore he felt the cold breath hitting him. "You fear me. You've always feared me." He smirked evilly. "You stared into the abyss…and now you're falling into it."

"Shut UP!" Ryder screamed louder, clutching his head with his free hand.

Dark yanked on his arm harder, laughing. "You're fighting a force…you're trying to resist the darkness. When all is lost…there will be nothing left of you." He glared darkly. "You fear… _ **the nature of evil.**_ "

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Ryder swung his restrained arm and slapped the illusion out of his face.

Then he heard a young cry.

Ryder's eyes widened, his vision regaining clarity, all as it should be. The world was once more covered in the light of the sun. No longer a nightmare. A normal world once again…

…and a Pichu flying backwards.

Scarlet landed on her face and stomach, lying motionless for a moment, likely stunned from the impact. Ryder blinked as his mind processed this sudden action, then his hand recoiled back while his face twisted in horror. _N-No! What did I-?!_ He gripped his wrist as the offending hand shook.

That tugging on his arm…it felt so real. It wasn't Dark's immense influence over his mind. He overlapped the illusion over Scarlet. He…did Dark trick him into…?

The Charmeleon held a breath as the Pichu pushed herself up. He noticed the slight tremors through her body. Ryder didn't know if he should check on her or run away in shame. His feet were frozen to the ground.

He felt the gathering presence behind him. Through his peripherals, he saw the others had seen his accidental attack on the baby Pichu. He didn't dare see their shocked gazes. It pained him enough that he committed the unintentional assault.

Scarlet turned around and faced the Charmeleon with wide, confused…hurt eyes that burrowed into his soul. She touched the stinging, red mark on her forehead. The recoil of the sting broke the dam in her eyes. Ryder couldn't bear to see her eyes leaking with sadness.

"U…Uncle…W-Wydew…" she sniffled.

Ryder took a stilted step forward and held his hand out. "Scarlet, I didn't mean to-!" He flinched as the Pichu stepped away. Her eyes filled with more confusion…and fear. "Scarlet…"

The tears fell stronger as her ears drooped down. "Wa…Wa…" She broke out into a tearful cry and sprinted right past Ryder towards her shocked mother. "MOMMY!" She jumped into her and hugged her waist, sobbing into her fluff.

Buneary froze up briefly, then wrapped her arms around her small form. "Scarlet…"

"W…W…Uncle W-Wydew! He…He…w-w-why d-did h-he…?!" Her cries were muffled into the rabbit's fluff, soaking it in her flood of tears.

Pikachu knelt down and patted her head. "Scarlet…it's okay, sweetie…" He and Buneary stared at Ryder, who flinched and stumbled back, waving his hands defensively.

"I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to, I swear! I would never hurt her! Please, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He clasped his hands together. "Y-You have to understand, I…there was… _he_ was! I-I-I-I didn't-!" He stopped as Pikachu held a hand up.

"Ryder…" Pikachu said softly. No anger in his face or tone. Only empathy. "It's…It's okay. W-We understand…we saw…"

They saw everything. Right when the Charmeleon was talking to the Pichu, they saw him freeze up for a moment, unmoving. He started screaming and convulsing soon after. It happened too quickly to fully assess the situation. Scarlet was just innocently checking on her 'uncle' through her own childish concern. She was scared for him. They were about to take Scarlet away from Ryder when…he snapped.

Anyone else, this would've been a horrible act. With Ryder…it was clear what possessed him to strike so suddenly. It wasn't Scarlet he was aiming for…

And yet, Ryder still felt horrible. "No…No! But I-!"

"Ryder!" Buneary shouted firmly, silencing him. Her face softened as well. "It's…just a minor graze. Scarlet needs some time…" She narrowed her eyes. "Please…we know you're not at fault. Just…please give Scarlet a little space."

Ryder stepped backwards, trembling miserably. "I…I…"

He looked at his shaking hand with newfound fear. He could see his hand…turning purple. His eyes widened in terror as he saw darkness wrapping around his hand. Was this real or another illusion? Why was he feeling cold? Why was everything going dark? Was he…scared?

He covered it with his other hand and, with eyes clenched shut, ran away towards the forest. Droplets of water fell from his face.

"Ryder, wait!" Oshawott tried to go after him, but Jade grabbed him by the scruff. "Jade?"

Her eyes were narrowed somberly as she watched Ryder flee into the trees. "He's not running away. He needs space, too."

The other Pokémon looked around at each other with worry for the fire lizard. Buneary picked her weeping daughter up, whose sobbing softened a bit. "I'm going to have Cilan look at her." She rubbed Scarlet's head before taking her to the trainers.

Jade let go of the sea otter, who pointed where Ryder ran off. "Are you just going to let him run off on his own?"

"Normally, no." The Flaaffy sighed gloomily. "But…Ryder is clearly worked up from…all of this. I'm worried whatever's left of Dark inside him is…tearing him apart." She gritted her teeth. "And I can't do anything about it…"

Oshawott blinked, then looked in concern at the forest. "Will he be fine?"

"He needs space. He needs to…calm down." Jade held her face and sat down. "Ryder…" _I wish I could help you, but…I just don't know what's going through your mind anymore._


	2. Anger

"WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

Bird Pokémon were scared off from loud explosions going off in chains across the forest. They shrieked as Aura Spheres flew wildly and took out the tops of trees. It wasn't uncommon to see wild Pokémon attacking for territory, but this was far different from those instances.

Storming through the forest was a cloak wearing Charmeleon with steam pouring from his hands. He threw his head up and cried out a bloodcurdling roar that shook the Pokémon inhabiting the forest down to the core with bone chilling fear. They fled the scene as blue flames fired haphazardly across the wooded area, thankfully extinguishing before a forest fire could take place.

Ryder set his rampage on a single tree, violently tearing through the bark with his claws. His eyes stung from the flow tears leaving them, from regret for harming Scarlet and the unending madness that was driving him insane. Nothing made sense to him anymore. His mind felt like it was in a constant state of torment, wanting him to suffer through the worst of the worst.

Ryder dug a few inches into the tree with his claws before the rush of anger finally died down, only now replacing it in full force with the wave of tears he tried to hold off. He dropped to his knees and covered his face, crying into his scratched up hands.

"Why…What did I do…t-to deserve this…? Why…?" He collapsed onto his side and pulled his hood over his face, hiding away his shame.

The part of the forest he lay in was nearly vacant. Perhaps completely vacant of all the forest inhabitants, but there were a couple of faces watching the Charmeleon from the shadows.

Warp tapped his fingers together as he observed Ryder from atop a high tree branch, with Tarot sitting a level below him. "I'm starting to see what you saw in his mind, Tarot. He truly is losing himself to that madman's aura."

Tarot held her chin. "It's quite fascinating, if you ask me. The boss helped create one of the most unstoppable forces this world has never seen. To imagine what would've happened if the Darkmon survived." She narrowed her eyes. "It's Dark that poses the most concern. Out of all the Darkmon, he was the most…what's the word I'm looking forward?"

"Volatile," Warp filled in. "An unstable, unpredictable force of evil. Being born with the mind and skills of Ryder, he took on a corrupted version of him and molded it into that philosophy of his. But is that really Dark we're seeing?"

"No…it's only a part of him. As far as I know, all he can't do is directly control Ryder. So far, he can either affect his perception and senses…and provide certain conditions to unleash that…imperfect Awakened Evil."

Warp nodded. "Noted. Well, that just makes him stronger than we originally concluded. With enough time, his unwilling assistance will help us achieve Wrath's goals."

Tarot tilted her head. "Assuming he doesn't blow himself up in frustration…"

* * *

There was a great tension in the air after the brief conflict earlier. While everyone mostly returned to their activities, there wasn't the same vigor as earlier. Some were worried about Ryder after fleeing into the woods, though they knew he would return…at least, hopefully.

Buneary was with Scarlet, keeping her close as the little Pichu sniffled and tried to eat. She had a small adhesive bandage on her forehead. She had since calmed down and only lightly sniffled through her troubles. She ate her food quietly while Buneary did her best to keep her comfortable.

Pikachu watched from a distance near their trainers, alongside Oshawott, Jade, and Emolga. Pikachu gritted his teeth. "I should go look for him."

Jade shook her head. "Ryder's emotionally unstable right now. We'd probably make it worse if we went looking for him."

Oshawott growled and stamped his foot down. "This is all that stupid freak's fault! If he wasn't an apparition or whatever inside Ryder, I'd be pounding him into pancakes!"

Emolga held her chin and smirked. "I would love to see that after what went down in that last fight of theirs."

Oshawott glared at her. "Oh shut up…you know what I mean. I'm not crazy enough to fight Dark, but…grr, why is he torturing Ryder like this?! Is he that demented that he needs to make someone snap?!"

Jade sighed. "It's not even truly Dark. It's a part of his aura, taking on a form within Ryder's mind. A small piece of Dark's evil." Jade shook her head. "As far as I know, Ryder has never been physically harmed by this figment of Dark. Emotionally, however…"

Emolga held her hips. "You're saying your boyfriend might be crazy…"

"Ryder spent five years dealing with the Darkmon." Jade grimaced, imagining what that must have been like for him. From the very beginning of the forest's creation, Ryder and Dark exchanged a small part of their auras and ended up gaining unwanted traits from two polarizing life forces. Dark seemed to act like his usual self, but Ryder?

He wasn't the same Ryder she knew five years ago.

Jade clenched her eyes shut and fists tightly, restraining herself from tearing up. She took some deep breaths and sighed. In a quivering tone, she said, "Ryder _needs_ this time off. For his sake. He needs to remember he isn't the creature Dark claims he is."

"But…Dark _is_ Ryder, right?" Jade blinked, then looked over at Pikachu. His ears were drooped and arms were crossed over his chest. He looked at the ground with a solemn face. "Ryder explained it multiple times to me when we were in the forest." He faced the Flaaffy. "The Darkmon are corrupted Pokémon, right? If they needed _our_ DNA to become whole, that means our counterparts are _us._ A corrupted version of us."

Jade's eyes narrowed. She bit her lip worriedly. "That's the idea…"

"Ryder is the only case like this, switching a piece of his aura with a Darkmon's. His counterpart, no less." Pikachu closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed…but I'd imagine that's taking a heavy toll on him. Dark is simply an evil version of Ryder. He has his smarts, his talent for battle, his persuasive attitude…just amped up and corrupted with a fresh coat of purple.

"If Dark's aura is having such an influence on his mind that it's causing him to see things that aren't there, why wouldn't he fear the possibility of turning evil?"

Jade grinded her teeth together angrily, but not directly at the Pikachu. His words stung, but only because that's exactly what she was worrying about. Ryder can be too stubborn for his own good, but now he's dealing with a situation that could fully well cost him the very principles he lived off.

She huffed her frustrations, then seated herself in the grass. She sighed in dejection. "I just wish I could help him…" Oshawott patted her back out of sympathy.

Since they've been talking so close to the trainers, they've also been thinking about the recent…situation. While they didn't have the full details, the humans were well aware Ryder ran off not too long ago and that Scarlet got hurt in the mess.

Ash frowned at the saddened Pokémon, then looked over at Buneary and Scarlet as they ate in peace. "The mood certainly got darker…"

Iris nodded. "Yeah…everyone isn't in high spirits anymore."

Cilan crossed his arms and closed his eyes, nodding to himself. "A dish cooked up without proper care, now of foul aroma, taste, and presentation." He opened his eyes and reflected the same mood as his friends. "Perhaps some cheering up is in order."

Iris grinned and stood up. "Yeah! Maybe some training will do it! Right, Ash?" She blinked at the raven-haired trainer, whose mind seemed to be off in another world. Iris glared and waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello! Ash! You there?"

Ash shook himself awake and looked up. "Oh, uh…yeah, it could work." He stood up. "Still, we should probably make sure Ryder's okay. From the looks of things, I don't think he took hitting Scarlet all too well."

Iris frowned. "He has been awfully huffy on occasion."

Cilan nodded. "There are many ways to examine a dish by its taste. The sweet and bitter components often clash with each other if one overtakes the other."

Ash slipped his hands into his pockets and looked off towards the forest. "Maybe someone should go check on him and see if he's actually doing alright."

Cilan grinned and held his chin in typical Cilan fashion. "Well, as a Pokémon Connoisseur, I shall take to helping our new companion out of his unfortunate slump!" He spun around in a grandiose manner and exclaimed, "It's therapizing time!"

Ash and Iris blinked at him with wide eyes, then the dragon trainer groaned as she pushed the green haired man into a chair. "Yeeeah, maybe not _this_ time…I don't think Ryder wants to hear anymore of your food metaphors."

"What's wrong with my metaphors?!" he shrieked.

Ash raised his hand, garnering their attention. "I'll go. I've dealt with these kinds of troubles before. Not…this one in particular, but I think I can talk to him."

Iris blinked, then held her chin. "Huh…guess you would be the best for this case."

Cilan nodded with firm eyes. "Agreed! Your bond with Pokémon would give you an edge in analyzing Ryder's conundrums."

Ash laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Analyzing isn't really my thing. I'm just going to do what I usually do."

Iris narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Ash…" she started in a warning tone. "You're not going to do anything reckless, are you?"

"Nah! I'll be fine!" He raced off into the forest. "I'll be back soon! I've still got training to get done!"

Iris and Cilan looked at each other, concerned, but hopeful the reckless trainer can actually help the complex mess that is Ryder.

* * *

Over with Buneary, she stayed quiet as the little Pichu eased her sorrows. She was glad Scarlet was finally eating and stopped crying, but the sadness in her eyes told the mother she wasn't completely over the ordeal. And she couldn't blame her for that. It was a shock to all of them that Ryder struck her without hesitance, even though they understood the circumstances behind it.

But Scarlet didn't. She legitimately believed Ryder attacked her for no reason. There was real fear in her eyes when she looked at the Charmeleon. Buneary had to wonder if what she saw was Ryder…or a reflection of the vile monster deep inside him.

Buneary kept her silence until she felt she was ready to speak to the toddler. She rubbed Scarlet's head and started gently with, "Sweetie…are you feeling better?"

"…mhmm…" she got out through closed lips, only to part as she ate another pellet.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"…it…stings…but no…"

Buneary nodded. "Okay…" She frowned a bit, worried about provoking her in midst of her sensitive state. "…Scarlet, Ryder…" She flinched as she felt her small body tense up at mention of the Charmeleon. She had to force herself to press on. "…Ryder…is very sorry about what he did…he really is…"

"…" Sniffles came again, but not a full wave of tears, thankfully. The Pichu turned herself around and stared at her mother with watery eyes. "Why…Why did U-Uncle W-W-Wydew hit me? I…did I do a bad? D-Does he not like me anymowe?"

Buneary shook her head and stroked the Pichu's floppy ear. "No, sweetie, no. Ryder doesn't hate you. He thinks you're a sweet, little angel. We all do." The rabbit grimaced, remembering what got the Charmeleon into this mess. "…Ryder has been under a lot of stress lately."

"Stwess?"

"It means…he's very tired and…sad." Buneary sighed. "What he did was wrong. He shouldn't have attacked you. However…we don't fault him for it. There's a saying among the humans and Pokémon: that hurt me more than it hurt you."

"W…W-What does that mean?"

"It means, even though you were the one who got hurt, Ryder suffered more from it." The rabbit closed her eyes. "Scarlet…Ryder is very, very different from most Pokémon. Pokémon like me, who traveled the road with other humans, compete in contests or battle in Pokémon Gyms. You know how we're traveling to the Pokémon League, right?"

Scarlet nodded stiffly. "U-Uncle Ash…keeps talking about it…"

Buneary smiled. "Exactly. That's what most trainers strive for." She then frowned. "Ryder's…different. He did used to do those things, but…then he went to this important place with…secret agents and stuff. He…trained harder than any Pokémon I've ever met. More than your own father, in fact."

"A-And?"

Buneary closed her eyes. "You remember that scary forest we were in? You were born in there."

Scarlet looked down and swayed around. "I…I don't know…"

"Well, regardless, Ryder was there for years trying to fight off these evil monsters that tried to hurt Daddy, me, and all of your friends. They weren't very nice…well, with some exceptions." She sighed and held the Pichu's cheeks. "It's too complicated to explain, but…those monsters are the reason Ryder isn't feeling well."

"I-Is he sick?"

A part of her wanted to say no, but another said otherwise. Ryder definitely wasn't sound of mind. "…something like that, I suppose." Buneary went on, "Ryder has been going through a lot recently. He won't be feeling well for a while. Maybe forever."

Scarlet looked down, then sniffled again. "So…Uncle Wydew…hit me…because he is angwy?"

Buneary cringed at the way that sounded. "N-No! No, no…well, yes, but…" Buneary sighed and rubbed her temples. "Scarlet, if he knew you were standing right in front of him when he lashed out, he'd sooner attack himself than lay a claw on you." She frowned. "We knew he wasn't feeling well, but he still insisted on speaking with you…"

"Why?" Scarlet rubbed her eyes and added, "You, Daddy, and Uncle Oshawott kept asking me questions…so did Uncle Wydew…"

Buneary blinked, then looked directly at her daughter. "…Scarlet? You didn't like getting hit did you?"

She shook her head. "No…" Her eyes watered again.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You were worried about him and wanted to make sure he was okay." She rubbed the Pichu's head. "You've got a kind heart. However…think about what you were doing when you were playing with Axew and Scraggy. You kept zapping them even though they weren't having fun."

Scarlet's eyes watered further. "I…I did do a bad?" Her voice sounded like it could break in two.

Buneary felt a lump forming in the back of her throat. She swallowed hard and focused. "Y-Yes…you did…do a bad. Axew and Scraggy weren't happy that you kept zapping them like that. It was wrong."

Scarlet sniffled. "But…don't you and Daddy fight all the time?"

' _Wow! That sounds so wrong out of context!'_ Buneary pushed that thought away and laughed quietly. "Scarlet…we, as Pokémon, are born to grow through experience. Experience we gather through battle. It's part of our growth. When we battle, we're mentally prepared to fight at our best. When we need to survive, we put more effort into our attacks to deal more critical blows. However, when you're not prepared for a fight, those kinds of things can still hurt."

Scarlet rubbed her eyes again. "Uncle…Wydew said the same thing…"

Buneary nodded. "I'm sure he did. When you were zapping Axew and Scraggy, they weren't prepared to fight back. You were hurting _them_ even though they did nothing wrong."

"…oh…" Scarlet looked down and held her feet as she wiggled them. "I'm…I'm sowwy…"

Buneary wrapped her arms around the Pichu and pulled her close. "It's okay. Now you know not to do it anymore." She kissed her head. "One day, you'll understand what battling is." She waved her hand around, emphasizing her tone, "Or, you know, _perform in contests_ …not telling you what you _should_ do, but…"

Scarlet hugged her mother back and nestled into her fluff. "…Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"…Uncle Wydew look weally sad…and angwy…why awe the monstews being mean to him? He did no bad…wight?"

Buneary narrowed her eyes. The Darkmon (the majority, at least) were unforgivable monsters. She knew Ryder did the right thing in destroying them for the better. And yet…a part of her wondered if that even mattered. Pikachu told her most of what happened when he fought that same demon that has been torturing Ryder for years. He sounded horrible just to listen to.

Dark's complex morality system was nothing she would side with, but good and evil seemed to be brought up a lot. Even after his victory, Ryder never seemed to take much pride in what he did. He was glad they were gone, but…he never seemed all too happy about it.

"…Scarlet…Ryder's going through a lot right now. Best to leave those questions for his ears only." She turned the Pichu around. "Now…finish eating. You should go play with Axew and Scraggy later."

"…awen't they mad at me?"

Buneary giggled and shook her head. "As long as you don't zap them again, they won't be. If you do…" She grabbed the Pichu by the sides and tickled her relentlessly. "The tickle monster will punish you!"

"EEE!" Scarlet squealed before bursting out into giggles. Buneary let her go, but kept her in her lap. "Heehee…okay, Mommy." Scarlet grabbed a pellet and ate with some semblance of her enthusiasm.

Buneary smiled in delight, happy some of her daughter's spark was reignited. She then frowned and gazed upon the woods. Now if only Ryder could do the same thing.

* * *

Completely motionless, sitting with his back against a scarred tree, Ryder quietly cried into his folded arms. Everything felt cold. The air, his blood, even his aura…he felt isolated in a never-ending misery, like Gabite circling and biting at his skin. It just wouldn't stop hurting.

He gripped the hand he used to strike Scarlet and dug his claws into it, not enough to draw blood, thankfully. If there was a time he wanted to redo everything, he would've stopped himself from attacking. In fact, if he had a redo, he would stop himself from losing the seed to the forest in that fall. All of this because he had to save a life.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the back of his head against the tree. "I just want to take it all back…"

A faint rustling came from nearby. Ryder chose to ignore it, wanting nothing more than to lie here and go to sleep or something. And yet, the faintness wasn't so faint anymore. Louder, the sound grew. Like a bush was being shook right against his ear.

He pressed his hands against the sides of his head and closed his eyes. _I'm not hearing this…_

A cold chill wrapped around his body. A cold mist brushed up to his ears, whispering sinister thoughts to him. Cruel deeds, malicious intentions, harsh behavior; all manner of evil that he despised. He bared his teeth and desperately tried to push the voices out of his mind. They were persistent.

 _Shut up…just shut up…_

 _His_ laughter was still fresh in his mind. That annoying laughter of superiority laced with the vilest of venom. He could feel his red eyes piercing through his soul. His felt his presence clawing away inside his mind, trying to escape.

 _ **You fear me…fear losing control. Keep telling yourself you're not evil, Ryder. It only makes your fall so much sweeter.**_

Ryder growled furiously. His aura blazed to life around him, rustling the grass with the pressure. He dug his claws into the tree and dragged them through the bark. _Stop it…stop it!_

Footsteps drew closer. A presence closed in on him. His mind was too much of a storm to detect who it was. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted them all to go away. He didn't want to hurt anyone else.

 _I'm not a monster…I'm not a monster…I'm not evil…_

"Ryder?"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Without thinking, he swung his arm and fired an Aura Sphere behind him. He half-inspected it to be another phantom, but the surprised gasp alerted him that it was not.

The explosion detonated and the figure was thrown back. He caught himself on his legs and stood his ground, having raised his arms to block the attack. Ryder immediately stood up and held his head in shock when the smoke cleared.

It was Ash.

The trainer had light burns on his arms, with mild scuff marks on his cheeks. His hat was blown off in the explosion, resting by his feet. His expression was scrunched up, almost like he was in pain.

Ryder backed into the tree and covered his face. His heart was pounding heart inside his ribcage as he dropped to his knees. "No…no, no! I didn't mean to-!"

His mind was swirling with thoughts. He expected Ash to yell at him or call him out for his poor, uncontrolled behavior. He wanted to lock himself away and never hurt anyone again.

Instead, Ash just…laughed?

Before the waterworks broke out, Ryder raised his head and looked to the trainer in bafflement as he laughed wholeheartedly. A genuine laugh like he was in good spirits.

 _Did I give him a concussion or something?!_

Ash eased up and patted his arms down. "Phew! Man, you pack quite the punch, Ryder! It's too bad you can't help my Pokémon train for the league. We'd have a pretty good shot with someone like you coaching us!"

Once Ryder finally calmed his racing heart, it only now occurred to him who he was looking at. Ash Ketchum, the kid from Pallet Town who has thrown himself into more danger than any trainer alive. He could give Ryan a run for his money with the crazy stunts they pulled off.

Ryder wiped his eyes, then stared up at the raven-haired trainer hesitantly. "Wait…y-you're not mad at me?"

"Ha, as if!" Ash jabbed his thumb at himself. "You know how many times I've been hit with Pikachu's Thunderbolt? I can take anything!" He held his hips and laughed. "But man, that Aura Sphere of yours is awesome! So cool to see someone other than a Lucario or Riolu use it!"

Ryder leaned back onto his rear and allowed himself to breathe a heavy, yet relieved sigh. _I should've figured. Ash Ketchum, of all people…_

"You think you can teach Pikachu to use it?" Ash asked.

Ryder smiled weakly. "Eh…maybe take it one step at a time, alright?" He sighed and hugged his legs close to his chest, staring at the ground despondently.

Ash stared at the Charmeleon for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside him. He folded his arms behind his head and stared up into the trees. "Just so you know…Scarlet's doing fine."

"That's good…"

"She still seems a bit shook about what happened. Don't really blame her, you know?"

"She probably hates me…"

Ash patted him in the back. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure she'll be back to her happy-go-lucky self after a good meal. Always cheers me up!"

Ryder laughed quietly, his face still twisted in regret. "Wishful thinking…" He narrowed his eyes. He scratched at his knee numbly. "…I'm putting everyone in danger."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." Ryder sighed. "Ash, understand that I'm a walking time bomb of rage and evil inside. Dark's egregious misdeeds will be the end of me." He held his face. "I feel like I'm slowly turning into him. His thoughts are driving me up the wall. To see I could physically harm someone, a child no less, I fear I might be losing a part of my sanity." He gritted his teeth. Tears dripped down his face. "And I don't know what to do."

Ash stared at him for a moment, then looked forward. Not much he could say on the matter. Aside maybe that one time at the Battle Pyramid and being possessed by that Pokélantis king, Ash doesn't have much experience being corrupted by an inner darkness. Even then, _that_ example was completely external from him.

Ryder's stuck with his for the rest of his life.

Doing the best he could do, Ash said, "Tell me more about Dark."

Ryder looked up at him with tears staining his cheeks. "W…What?"

"Yeah, you know, tell me everything about Dark. I only met the guy once, right before you…exploded him. What was it like dealing with him?"

Ryder wasn't sure where the raven-haired trainer was going with this, but it's not like he had any better options. Besides, now thinking it over, there was a lot about Dark that can be said. He was the Charmeleon's shadow come to life. They were practically twins.

"…Dark is the version of me that was born evil. The corrupted version of me that I swore never to become." Ryder hugged himself. "Five years spent trying to keep his evil suppressed to that forest…it takes its toll on the mind. Dark isn't like most creatures. He's…something else. Something more than the Darkmon as a whole. Dangerous, powerful, malevolent…and idealistic.

"The more I look into it, and the further I hear others' interpretations of the Darkmon, I start to see what Team Rocket really created." Ryder narrowed his eyes. "No one is truly born evil…hardly ever a case. It's a choice we make as we experience life. Good…is keeping that order of balance so that we don't feel subjected to the torment.

"Team Rocket didn't just create evil Pokémon…they asked themselves a question: what would happen if Pokémon were born evil? And…the Darkmon were the answer." He gritted his teeth. "The Darkmon are hardly clones…they're our counterparts. What we would've become if we were born to be vile, malevolent, and overly selfish.

"So…looking at Dark…and having to suppress his forces for so long…" Ash could see the tension in Ryder's muscles. "I stopped seeing Dark as my enemy…and saw him as my reflection." He pressed his claws into his skin. "I was beginning to believe Dark and I…aren't so different after all."

Ash blinked at him with his expression barely changing. "…Is that so?"

Ryder nodded. "…I'm afraid…of accepting I have a dark side." He held up his claws and stared at them. "Everyone has one…that part of them they refuse to unleash because they fear the consequences. A selfish and greedy nature, a bitter persona, or…an inner darkness that persuades you to step out of the boundaries of your own moral code.

"Dark's trying to see how long I can last against his constant torment before I give in to my own anger. I'll keep rejecting it until he sees I cannot be broken." He sighed and drooped his face into his folded arms. "…Never going to happen, though. He'll keep…trying and trying…until I give up…"

Ash propped his knee up and rested his arms atop of it. "I see…" He looked up at the leaves as he contemplated the Charmeleon's issues. "I can understand where you're coming from. With your profession, I imagine there are lines you refuse to cross. Can't say I have the guts to do the unthinkable like…take a life."

Ryder grimaced at the thought. Dark, despite never taking a life himself, wouldn't hesitate to show his merciless nature. "Yeah…"

"Though…" Though? What does he mean, though? "…if we're being completely honest, you did have to cross a line to take out Dark and the whole forest."

Ryder gritted his teeth. _'This again.'_ "I mean…yeah, but…"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "You knew what Dark would do if he won, right? We all got off lucky when the sun came up." He held Ryder's shoulder. "If you didn't step up and let go of your morals, maybe Dark would've gotten away and won."

The Charmeleon gulped uncomfortably. "You…think so…?"

The trainer shook his head. "Well, not exactly. I did say 'maybe.' I don't know what could've happened." He smiled. " _But_ …I do know you helped us win by letting go and cutting loose. You forgot your morals, yes, but…you kept enough consciousness to remember why."

A long pause of silence came between them, as the Charmeleon looked at the ground in deep thought. He remembered how bitter and cold he was when beating Dark. In that first moment, he felt like he surpassed the Darkmon, only to discover it was pointless. If Dark were at full strength, there was no telling if Final Focus would be able to keep up.

Despite his better nature, he ignored all that over the idea of complete extermination of the Darkmon. A case like the late Koda then told him the Darkmon weren't above good morals. Ryder could still see the traces of evil in Koda's personality, though, despite all his fun-loving nature. He just…chose to focus those cruel thoughts in his mind to be a better Darkmon.

Was Dark above such a thought?

Ryder narrowed his eyes for a moment, then pulled from his thoughts as Ash stood up. "Leaving?"

"Nope!" He patted his pants of grass, then walked forward and faced the Charmeleon. "Alright, I'm ready!"

"Ready? For what?"

Ash parted his legs and raised his fists. "Fight me!"

"Excuse me?!" Maybe he did give Ash a concussion.

"I always thought the best way to let some steam loose is to do some exercise! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Are you crazy?! I'm not attacking you!" Ryder shot to his feet. "Besides, why YOU?!"

"Well, no offense, but I think you should cool it with opening fire on trees." Ryder eased up a bit. "You know other Pokémon live here, right?"

Ryder looked around, then flinched at the scorch marks spread across the nearby trees, as well as the large chucks of wood that was scattered around. He completely forgot he did all of this in his rage.

"Oh…"

Ash pounded his chest. "Come on, I'm wide open! Take your best shot!"

"You really want me to punch you?"

"I've taken worse! Besides, it'll be good for you."

Ryder narrowed his eyes, then looked at his fist. The dark aura born from his imagination shimmered over his fist. He could see his skin turning the color of Dark's. He flinched at the sight and covered the fist, then glared back at Ash and his optimistic smile.

Funny…this reminded him of training with Ryan…

Ryder closed his eyes, then stood up. "Fine…" He pushed his foot back. "I'll try and take it easy on you…"

Ash laughed. "Give me everything you've got!"

Ryder bent his knees and glared. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Since he was still partially recovering, he wasn't moving or hitting as hard as he normally did. Either way, he sprung at the raven-haired trainer and threw a strong punch against his guard. Ash gritted his teeth, a bit thrown back by Ryder's strength. He has seen up close what the Charmeleon was capable of.

And it excited him.

Ash stumbled back, but kept his footing as he laughed. "Nice one! Come on, keep them coming!"

Ryder's glare softened before lunging at the trainer again, this time throwing two punches and a kick against him. Ash adjusted to Ryder's strength and braced himself with more preparation. They still threw him back, but he managed to land on his feet fine. Ryder leaped off the side of a tree and dive-kicked Ash, who threw his arms up to block.

The Charmeleon jumped back and bounced off another tree, this time flying into Ash with his Aerial Ace. The force dragged Ash's feet through the dirt while Ryder rapidly struck him. Ash kept grinning all the way through.

Ryder narrowed his eyes as purple sparks flew over his body. His eyes went in and out of a red glow. _**'Use that power, Ryder. Unleash that anger and evil. Realize your destiny. We are one in the same.'**_

Ryder growled. _'I'm…nothing like you!'_ He spun and slammed his leg into Ash's block, throwing the trainer back.

Ash rolled across the ground, but landed on his knees. "Phew…" He stood up and raised his guard again. "Now we're talking!"

Ryder sprinted with his fists balled. "Grr!" He struck at the trainer's guard furiously, as the dark whispers continued to tempt his better nature. The more they tempted, the angrier he got resisting them. _'Concentrate! Concentrate! Don't let him get to you!'_

Ash noticed that Ryder's hand was lighting up with aura. _'Oh boy…'_ He quickly sidestepped the punch, feeling the strong breeze it carried along. Ash smirked. "That's the spirit, Ryder! Let all that anger out!"

Ryder sprung backwards and landed a strong kick to the trainer's chest. He was thrown back, but caught himself on his hands and feet, back facing the ground. He plopped onto his rear and sighed with a light smile, then jumped to his feet. Ryder rushed down Ash with a sharp elbow strike, which he had time to block.

"How you feeling?" Ash asked.

Ryder jumped back and glared lightly. His head was pounding with more of those dark whispers, but they seemed to be lessening with each punch. It seemed the trainer was onto something. It was helping him relieve a lot of the tension building up. It felt much more tolerable to deal with.

"…Better, actually." Ryder lunged and struck Ash's guard again, this time with a flurry of punches.

Ash kept on the defense as the volley of strikes pushed him back. He could feel his arms slowly starting to ache, but it was far from the worst he suffered. He could see the Charmeleon gradually burning through steam, which was all he wanted from this exercise.

With one final attack, Ryder gave a fist with all he could and knocked Ash off his feet. The trainer slammed his back into a tree and slumped onto his rear, groaning. "Ooh…man…you certainly pack a punch…"

Ryder panted lightly, then massaged his fists. "Yeah…" His face softened. "I didn't hurt you too badly, right?"

Ash stood up and waved it off. "Nah." His arms were a bit scuffed, but they were treatable. "I'd say you're looking much better than earlier."

"I suppose…" Ryder flinched as purple sparks flew up his body. "B-But…it only relieved my stress for now…I'm still not feeling one hundred percent." He glared. "I can feel him clawing around inside."

"Maybe you should see a doctor about it," Ash suggested.

"I doubt Nurse Joy is trained in this sort of stuff." He sighed, then smiled at the trainer. "Thanks for…at least helping out."

Ash smiled back, then got serious. "The others are worried about you. You should come back with me."

Ryder rubbed his arm. "Not sure I'm ready to see Scarlet after hitting her like that."

"Hey, she likes you. She wouldn't hold a grudge against you."

"You don't know that…"

Ash bent down and held his shoulder. "Hey…I get it. You've been dealing with a lot of badness for a long time. I get that you're not…totally in the right headspace. You should at least acknowledge you have friends to help you. I'd imagine Jade's waiting for you to come back."

Ryder gritted his teeth. "…I don't like worrying her…" He closed his eyes. "I…she's right. I shouldn't be dealing with this on my own…" He looked down at his feet with glossy eyes. "…I need serious help…maintaining this…evil inside…"

"Then maybe you should stop running from it and start confronting it head on." Ash grinned. "You don't want to run away from a battle, right?"

Ryder blinked, then held his head with an annoyed smile coming to him. "You…are too stubborn for your own good…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "…I'm done running…"

* * *

Moments after, Ash and Ryder returned to camp. Iris and Cilan immediately ran to them to see if they were alright. Ash held his hands up and smiled. "It's all good, guys. I got Ryder to let off a little steam, that's all."

Iris grabbed his arm and raised it high, making him wince. "Then what's with all these bruises on your arm?!"

"Hehe…right, about that…well, I sort of had a spar with him…"

Iris groaned and facepalmed. "You're…ugh, you know what? I don't have the energy to say it…" She dragged him to their table. "Come on, we're getting you patched up!"

"I-Iris, I'm fine!" Ash whined.

Cilan laughed to himself, then looked down at the reserved Charmeleon, who seemed to find interest with the ground. The connoisseur crouched down and gave a friendly pat to his shoulder, which got him the Charmeleon's undivided attention, for as miserable as he looked. "You gave the others quite the scare, you know."

"…I'm sorry."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." Cilan stood up and joined over with Ash and Iris.

Ryder looked forward and saw his closest friends in a group, looking his way. They smiled, happy to see he was back. Though, at the front, Jade had her arms crossed and was giving him that stern look that told him he was going to get really, really hurt or lectured to the heavens. He sighed and advanced towards his impending fate.

Once stopping before them, he looked to them with glossy eyes. "…Guys, I-"

"Uh-buh-buh!" Jade interrupted. Her glare deepened. "Do _you_ know how worried sick I was?" Ryder looked away guiltily. Jade sighed, then pulled him into a hug. "…If it were anyone else, it would've looked bad. You…You aren't well."

"…I know…"

She pulled away and nodded firmly. "Good. Glad we got that established."

Ryder glanced at Pikachu and Buneary, noticing that Scarlet wasn't with them. "…Where is she?"

Pikachu rubbed his head. "She's napping." He closed his eyes. "…She's still pretty shaken about what happened. I'm…sure she's not mad at you, but…she might be a little-"

"-scared?"

Buneary flinched, but ultimately nodded. "Y-Yeah…"

Ryder closed his eyes, then took a deep breath. "…I need serious help controlling my rage. Dark's influence is going to kill me or everyone _around_ me if I don't get a handle on it. I…just can't understand him."

Jade held his shoulders. "It's alright…we'll figure something out. Just…please, no more hiding this from us. We want to help you."

Ryder's lip quivered, unable to hold back the tears. He sniffled, then wrapped Jade into a tight hug, pressing his face into her soft wool. "I'm s-sorry…" his voice cracked. "I-I-I'm so s-s-sorry…"

Jade patted his back. "It's okay, Ryder…trust in us. You will never become like Dark. You have our word." The others nodded, giving him their reassurance through warm, inviting smiles. They were going to help him through this, no matter what.

Ryder pulled away and wiped his tears. He smiled gratefully at each of them as the tears fell. "Thank you…all of you…"


End file.
